Court sends Alice Guo to Pasig jail for non-bailable case

Metro Manila, Philippines – The Pasig Regional Trial Court has ordered the transfer of former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo from police custody to a city jail for her non-bailable qualified human trafficking case.

In its four-page order dated Thursday, Sept. 19, the Pasig RTC Branch 167 directed authorities at the Philippine Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City, to transfer Guo’s custody to the Pasig City Jail Female Dormitory.

The order was made public on Friday, coinciding with Guo’s arraignment at the Valenzuela RTC for a separate graft case.

After the postponement of her arraignment at the Valenzuela RTC, Guo posted bail of P540,000. This is much higher than the P180,000 earlier determined by the court. Her lawyer, Stephen David, said the court considered Guo a “flight risk.”

He said Guo will file a petition with the Pasig court to allow her to post bail for the other case.

Both cases arise from Guo’s alleged involvement in illegal offshore gaming operations.

Pasig Presiding Judge Annielyn Medes-Cabelis said the court found probable cause to charge Guo and 15 others with qualified trafficking. The court also ordered arrested without bail Guo’s alleged cohorts, including foreign nationals.

Among the co-accused is Chinese fugitive Huang Zhiyang, Guo’s alleged business partner who helped her flee the country in July. Authorities said he was last tracked in Hong Kong, with senators stating that the issuance of an arrest warrant against him would trigger an Interpol alert, prompting cooperation from law enforcement agencies in other countries.

Also included in the arrest warrant is Dennis Cunanan, a former government official who headed the now-defunct Technology Resource Center. He is believed to have served as the authorized representative of the raided POGO hubs in Bamban and Porac, Pampanga.

The arraignment and pre-trial for Guo’s qualified trafficking case is scheduled for Sept. 27 at 8:30 a.m. via video conferencing.